Were the bullets that killed two agitators in Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya a bolt from the blue, literally? The Meghalaya police, ironically, kept mum on the issue so far. No denial has come from the police even as the Border Security Force (BSF), accused by some policemen as to have fired at the crowd, straightforwardly denied the allegation even though it admitted firing in the air. Is it another act of state-sponsored terrorism, a harsh reality in the in the insurgency-ravaged North-east? There is enough room to question the firing, if it is from any security agency. There was no report of lathicharge on the allegedly violent crowd, before the firing, let alone any use of rubber bullets.

An official report announcing a routine magisterial inquiry into the incident indicated that there could be a non-state actor involved in the firing. If it is so, the finger will be pointed at a conspiracy by pro-miner groups who, by any means, want to see the ban on coal mining removed at the earliest. Death of two common persons including a woman is a fair case to be presented before the Centre or the court to justify the “impact” of the ban ordered by National Green Tribunal (NGT) on the livelihood of indigenous people. But for this third possibility to be probed, the police should first deny its involvement, as did by the BSF. A magisterial inquiry – with all assistance from the police – may not cause much trouble for the men in uniform even if they had hid vital facts about the incident.

There is utter failure of the state machinery even if the version of Khliehriat police is taken for granted. The police claimed that they had fled the spot fearing backlash from the crowd, who were agitated over arrest of a person in connection with the torching a police car and damage to many besides assault on the district police chief the previous night. Fleeing a spot of tension is not a good move by police. There could be attack on innocent lives. Interestingly, the version of local police was nowhere reflected in any official report. All went silent, in the name of magisterial inquiry. The truth never comes out in many such controversial killings. Will this case be different?

(Published as editorial in The Meghalaya Guardian on September 27, 2014)

Such a disaster did not happen in the recent history of Meghalaya, perhaps even when the territory was under Assam. The official death toll in the floods and landslides across the state already came close to three dozen, a figure only people of neighbouring Assam are used to. For an outsider, Meghalaya does not seem to be vulnerable to floods. That is the reason why government money is often spent – the outcome may be questionable – only on extravagant earthquake and fire drills in this region. Like the common people, have the authorities too forgotten that the state has vast plain areas on its three sides – north, west and south. While the Khasi-Jaintia Hills does not share much of the plain areas, Garo Hills has a huge plain belt bordering Assam in the north and west and Bangladesh in the south. The state machinery failed to respond promptly to a Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) warning issued four days before the catastrophe hit the state.

The MHA communiqué, issued on September 19, quoted an Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) report that forecast ‘heavy to very heavy rainfall’ at a few places with ‘extremely heavy’ falls at isolated places in Meghalaya, Assam, Sikkim and sub-Himalayan West Bengal during the next two days. The MHA had also asked the state governments concerned to ‘keep a close watch, monitor the situation in their areas regularly and take appropriate precautionary measures’. Now, should the public deduce that the state government downplayed the warning thinking that what harm the rains would do to the ‘Abode of Clouds’? Thinking that for them is fair because two months ago the government was crying for Central funds to combat ‘draught-like’ situation in the same Garo Hills region. There might be different answers from the authorities as well on the matter – ‘we received the communiqué late’.

It is so far not known whether chief minister Mukul Sangma was aware of the MHA warning. He had gone to New Delhi in preparation of the scheduled signing of a peace agreement with two Garo militant outfits, according to an official version. He drew applauds by rushing back to the state before the meeting to inspect the flood situation. Although it was too late to act as over two dozen lives were already lost, the government can compensate now at least by speeding up the relief and rehabilitation.

(Published as editorial in The Meghalaya Guardian on September 24, 2014)

If one makes a google search for a good university, he or she would expect entries related to academics, new programmes, research projects, inventions by research scholars, bright results etc. The universities of Cambridge, Harvard and even Delhi have similar results to show on google. But a search for North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) would direct the user to news items such as students demanding ouster of professor accused of sexual assault, teachers going for strike for pay hike and promotion, communal clash in the campus. What is happening, in a Central university? If such things continue, the day will not be far when NEHU would cease to become a “centre of excellence”. Students of the state, let alone from other states, would not be interested to study in the university.

More than the teachers, bright students are the pillars of any university. The mini-township like campus of the university and its heftily-paid professors would not be able to save it from the danger of becoming insignificant, if good students stop joining it. And to be a centre of excellence, the university’s prerequisite is to reach out to the world. Harvard and Cambridge are big names since they have the best of the world, both teachers and students. Harvard would not have been known outside Massachusetts, US and Cambridge outside England had there been barriers for bright scholars and students from outside. The incidents of vociferous protests by students as well as teachers – for whatever reasons – would certainly force a student to give a second thought before bargaining his career at NEHU.

Some say the administration at NEHU went downhill because of absence of a permanent vice-chancellor. That cannot be the sole reason. The organizations of students and teachers in the university should try to hit headlines for things they should do in a university. They might be doing the good job as well, but what is there for common people to read about the university is utterly discouraging. Everyone should mend their ways. The NEHU teachers, deemed as top scholars of the country, should find softer means to air their grievances such as pay hike and promotion or anything else. Holding strike and, as alleged by reports, inciting students to do so make them no different from common agitators. The students, on the other hand, should give utmost priority to studies and research and leave other matters to the administration. NEHU should not become just a place for grooming future politicians!

(Published as editorial in The Meghalaya Guardian on September 20, 2004)

Ardent Basaiawmoit has little chance of quitting, as he had hinted recently, after the United Democratic Party (UDP) giving him a ‘second chance’. The chief executive member (CEM) of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) survived the huge revolt within the ruling All Regional Parties’ Alliance (ARPA), thanks to his ‘public support’. The UDP’s decision to give him another chance might have been influenced by Basaiawmoit’s announcement that he was going to speak his heart out to the people at a public meeting on September 19. Though the meeting is still on schedule, the suspense over a ‘big announcement’ from Basaiawmoit is already over. However, politics is always unpredictable. He might have a different plan. What is likely to happen under normal circumstances may not be his best bargain. So, waiting for the outcome of the meeting is the best idea at the moment.

The main reason behind UDP’s mounting pressure on Basaiawmoit is that the party is on a safe ground in the KHADC. It has six members of district council (MDCs) while Basaiawmoit’s Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) has just one more, making the latter leader of the ARPA. On the other hand, the Congress despite having 11 MDCs is still sitting in the opposition, following the regional parties’ vow to keep the national party at bay. However, no ideology can stay permanent in politics, especially in Meghalaya. The Congress needs the support of just another five MDCs to wrest power in the KHADC. If UDP lends its support, the party will still remain a junior partner and lose nothing.

Break-ups in ruling coalitions happened many a time in the state government and the three ADCs as well. Both UDP and HSPDP came out of the Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) in 2009 to join hands with Congress, just one year after formation of the coalition government with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). History can repeat itself in the district council. Although UDP has its ‘options’ open, the party is worried about Basaiawmoit’s support base. The KHADC chief being seen as a strong voice for protection of rights of the indigenous people, the UDP might have thought this was not the right moment to break up the regional parties’ alliance and throw red carpet to the Congress. But keep your fingers crossed, till the September-19 meeting which will give a clearer picture.

(Published as editorial in The Meghalaya Guardian on September 19, 2014)

Bridges bridge gaps, not always. Sometimes they create divide. The bridge in question is at Motphran, Shillong. The 30-year-young bridge over the ever-busy road has been termed “unsafe” by the authorities, prompting issue of an evacuation order. Traders, mostly women, have to vacate the bridge. Their resentment – evident as the famous market joint attracts thousands of customers every day – led to a demand for another eviction, just a few hundred metres away. Sweeper Lane or Iew Mawlong has been a bone of contention for successive governments. A plan to replace the Harijan colony there into a market complex is yet to materialise. The Harijans, brought by the British, have refused to relocate to a housing complex already constructed to rehabilitate them. The Khasi district council has now revived the issue of relocating the Harijans, to make way for the market complex. While indigenous traders are at receiving end at the bridge, the new demand threatens a large-scale displacement of the Harijans. The bridge is about to widen the divide between the indigenous and those who are not.

Violation of rights of non-indigenous people has been a perennial problem in f the state of Meghalaya and for that matter in all other tribal-dominated states or regions of the North-east. Although the fresh demand for removal of the Harijans from the heart of the city is legitimate from many angles, the alleged idea of accommodating indigenous traders in the area does not sound democratic either. None would contest the argument that Sweeper Lane has been an eyesore of the city. The inmates of the shanties are not as poor as their houses look from outside. The reason for not investing on the house is insecurity. A threat of losing the battle and being evicted always looms over them. With the Motphran over-bridge in question now, pressure has mounted on them to vacate the area and shift to the housing complex.

Shifting of the Harijans from Sweeper Lane will no doubt give more room for Iewduh to expand and bring a solution to the congestion in the city’s oldest and largest traditional market. It will accommodate all the indigenous traders including those from Motphran over-bridge. But, has anyone thought that the Harijans too have the right to live in the now-prime area, which was not so when they had settled there in the British era? Had there been an age-old colony of an indigenous community, would the government or the council make a similar move? All these questions are brought to the fore by the ‘vulnerable’ bridge.

(Published as editorial in The Meghalaya Guardian on September 13, 2014)

No spectacular piece of art or architecture was built without a big dream. Be it the Taj Mahal or the Colosseum, big dreams were always behind their making. The makers of the spectacular pieces already knew that they are going to script history, before the thing was actually made. Such mega structures –though come at huge cost of money, materials, manpower and even lives – play vital role in shaping the economy of a particular region besides other sectors. The Seven Wonders of the world have been influencing people’s movement towards the respective regions for centuries. The economy is directly related with the people’s movement, either temporary or permanent, from place to place.

Meghalaya has no dearth of geographical wonders. Cherrapunjee or Sohra has been on the tourist map since the British era. What the state or for that matter the whole North-east lacks is architectural wonders. Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma, perhaps, had the fact in mind when he announced the government’s aim to building a shopping complex at Polo area in Shillong on the lines of the ‘Times Square’ of New York. Sangma sounded a bit overambitious. He is used to. Be it the aquaculture project for digging fish ponds all across the mostly hilly state or turning parts of the barren topography of Sohra into forests, the chief minister has lined up a number of ‘dreams’ for his five-year term. While none of the dreams has really started showing results on the ground, building a Times Square in Shillong sounds empty talk for many. Yet, the chief minister and his government should be given the benefit of doubt for at least announcing a slew of schemes and projects rather than just being busy doing politics as happened in the past decades in Meghalaya.

To endorse Mukul Sangma’s words, Polo needs a big plan for reformation since it had born the brunt of encroachment and public nuisance for decades. The picturesque and serene valley with Wah Umkhrah flowing through it has become an eyesore over the years, thanks to rampant and unregulated human activities. It is now impossible to get back the picturesque valley as vertical growth, the necessary evil of 21st century, has not spared even Shillong. Yet, what the government can do is clear parts of the bank of Wah Umkhrah and allow public to reminisce the river’s beauty. The shopping complex – Times Square or not – would also attract tourists and contribute to the economy, without doing much damage to the environment.

(Published as editorial in The Meghalaya Guardian on September 12, 2014)

In the west, most people may no longer need any day-to-day policing to check their anti-environment habits. Signs warning about fines for littering the streets and drains are rarely seen there. The people are generally aware about direct impact of such habits on their own lives. In the Asian subcontinent and other developing regions, the scenario is just the opposite. Most people either do not know or are not bothered about such things. The rest, despite being aware, follow the crowd thinking individuals cannot make any difference. They resort to the street when they don’t find anything around to keep the waste or get relieved. So, policing is a must. In the ‘Abode of Clouds’, Meghalaya, they have begun it. A few people were detained by Shillong police for throwing garbage at public places. This was, perhaps, unprecedented.

Let alone being scared, such offender would wonder if the cop detaining him has gone crazy! Is it an offence? Public places are made to litter. That’s why, in India, they say “do you think it’s a public property”, when someone does any harm to any private stuff. Homes are meant to be clean even if at the cost of the streets, drains, fields, auditoriums, cinemas, temples, schools, offices and so on. It will take decades for the people of the subcontinent to adopt green habits by their own conscience. Even most awareness programmes are an irony. Lakhs of packets of junk foods, plastic water bottles and hundreds of megawatts of non-renewable energy are put into the bargain to popularise green habits. Funded by many international organizations and the local governments, most of such programmes are held in air-conditioned rooms where most of the speakers and listeners are people who had listened more than enough about importance of environment. There is hardly anyone among them who would try and prevent a commoner from littering the street. He is either scared or skeptical about telling his co-passenger not to throw the empty water bottle out of the window of the running vehicle.

Shillong police should be commended for the recent job more than busting of a big racket of robbers. It may sound awkward, but police acting tough on common people for littering public places will yield wonderful results. Unlike other crimes where most accused become history-sheeters, green norm violators will be hundred times more conscious next time. They have been thinking that littering everything else than their homes is not crime. Once they know they might be branded as criminals too, they would stop doing it, again.

(Published as editorial in The Meghalaya Guardian on September 6, 2014)

The media had never been neutral, and probably it is not possible to be perfectly neutral. Most importantly, being neutral is also a matter of perception. No media would like to accept their report as biased. The stories of Burma Railway or Death Railway may not be more popular in Japanese media because they are mostly about the inhuman torture meted out on the prisoners of war by the Japanese. On the other hand, media in the rest of the world project the stories as not less horrific than those of the Holocaust. As the adage goes “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter”, media versions of same incident or issue vary from place to place. The readers are always deprived of the ‘true’ picture. With internet bringing to a single platform all kinds of information, readers have to be more careful in making any assessment about the reported incidents, issues. They have to be smart minds to judge between filtered and non-filtered, genuine and motivated or real and distorted information.

It is a little difficult for the media to be completely neutral when the news concerns their own area of operation. But, the recent report about ‘exodus’ of Assamese (people from Assam?) from Shillong was either deliberate distortion of facts or pathetic ignorance about ABCD of journalism. News channels were running ‘breaking news’ claiming hundreds of Assamese fleeing the capital of Meghalaya whereas most of the interviewed victims could hardly speak their ‘native’ language. They were speaking in Hindi compelling one reporter to put his questions too in Hindi despite the latter’s visible struggle with the national language. Although a patient hearing of the versions of the so-called victims would make anyone understand that the incident was related to workers of a particular institution, the newsmen concerned hardly stressed on the matter. Their attempt to make the incident a general and racial problem was too explicit. One channel even had the audacity to run a comment ‘how long will the Assamese endure such torture’ (with reference to the recent border clashes with Nagaland). As if the channel now wants the Assemese to retaliate against the ‘others’. Is it the role of a media?

The news channels of Assam that day fulfilled their basic objective – to raise the television rating points (TRPs). They could ‘successfully’ instill fears in the minds of hundreds of Assamese people living in Shillong. Some panicked residents called up Shillong media late night wondering if they were safe in the Scotland of East. Readers and viewers, beware – there are vices in media too, you have to make your own judgement.

(Published as editorial in The Meghalaya Guardian on September 4, 2014)